Lingering exceptional drought (D4) persisted over the central and western South Plains with severe (D2) to extreme (D3) elsewhere. Hall county was the only county in moderate (D1) drought conditions. In March, several precipitation events pushed rainfall totals to or above normal for the month. Drought impacts are typically low in late winter and early spring, which are among the driest times of the year on the Texas South Plains, and this period coincides with fairly low water demand.
Dry conditions through the month of February persisted through the early part of March. A strong low pressure system pushed into West Texas from the 18th to the 22nd and brought widespread thunderstorms to the region. Several areas over the southeastern Texas panhandle and the northern Rolling Plains received between two and three inches of rainfall for the month. Elsewhere, less precipitation was observed although amounts were still near normal for March. Some selected totals include 2.28 at Childress, 2.27 at White River Lake and 2.23 at Roaring Springs. Like much of the country east of the Rocky Mountains, March saw temperatures above climatological normals. The average temperature at both Lubbock and Childress were 6.4 and 7.7 degrees above normal respectively. These values placed the month at the second warmest March on record at both Lubbock and Childress. Keetch-Byram Drought Index values remained unchanged from February values. They ranged from 500-600 across the South Plains and northern Rolling Plains with 300-400 across the southern Rolling Plains.
Meteorologically, it appears as though the drought is easing but hydrologic data indicates potential for significant impacts to water supply and agriculture. Soil profiles in the top eight inches have continued to show gradual improvement with deeper soils below eight inch depth remaining largely deprived of significant moisture. Winter wheat producers were nearing harvesting their crop and cotton farmers were prepping for planting. Significant green up occurred over the Rolling Plains through March. Fuels this season have been significantly reduced from last year and only a few large fires have resulted despite several strong wind events.
Economic losses due to drought through March since the drought began were estimated near $2.4 billion.